So now you have an idea about Buddhism. You know about the Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. The latter is very important in avoiding bad karma and staying off the wheel of samsara. But how are these lessons conveyed to the masses? After all, not everyone can sit through a lengthy lecture, or meditate for hours. The pain of it all when all one wants is to attain nirvana.
Be prepared to share your group's thoughts on the above questions (see document above), and the questions below.
How is the experience of karma/samsara different from that of Christianity (in your opinion)? The same?
Speculate on what sort of being the prince might become in his subsequent life?
Which of the three animals in the story is closest to Enlightenment in your opinion? Why?
It is said that Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) had 550 lives - some in animal form, some in human form - which of the characters in the story do you think is from one of his previous lives? Why?
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So now you have an idea about Buddhism. You know about the Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. The latter is very important in avoiding bad karma and staying off the wheel of samsara. But how are these lessons conveyed to the masses? After all, not everyone can sit through a lengthy lecture, or meditate for hours. The pain of it all when all one wants is to attain nirvana.